Here I Am

Sen. David Vitter, R.-La, supporting a federal ban on gay marriage:

"It's often said, but it's very, very true,
and it is worth repeating -- marriage is truly
the most fundamental social institution in
human history."

OK so if it's that great, why would you employ the services of an escort???

Also, ironically, the quote above could easily be attributed to someone who is for gay marriage. Strange how the same phrase can be used to justify both sides of the argument.

Why is it that when I go to the doctor I have a $20 copay and patients on welfare pay $2. I have a job and pay alot for (really good) health insurance. It really doesn't give much incentive to people to get jobs that offer health insurance, or that pay above the poverty level.

Something is wrong with the American Healthcare System!

So I bought a six pack of compact flourescent bulbs for $10. The box claims I'll save $36 on electric within a year. It just kinda made sense to do. I was kinda worried that the lights wouldn't be bright enough in my bathroom, but to my surprise, they were brighter than the round bulbs in my bathroom vanity.

Checkout Live Earth for tips on saving money and the environment.

The iPhone comes out in a week, and with the anticipation also comes alot of doubts.

Apple announced that the screen will be made of optical glass, rather than the very easily scratched ipod material. Won't this be a problem though when the metal encased phone is dropped. Instead of just knicking the shock absorbent plastic, users will end up with unusable broken glass screens.

And I'm sure the interface is fabulous, but having used a touchscreen phone for a while, there are drawbacks. On my phone I have a full keyboard. I use it to text ALOT, as well as send emails, chat on AIM, etc. There is an onscreen keyboard: the buttons are too small and it takes up too much space on the screen. I can use it with a stylus, but to use my finger to control items on screen leaves it greasy and covered in fingerprints. Not to mention that holding the phone to my ear on a hot day can result in a layer of grime across the touchscreen. All I'm saying is that I'm glad I have the keyboard... with actual keys...

Another thing that I didn't realize when I switched from a flip phone to my 8125 was that it is not at all a one handed phone. I used to text and drive, or text at the bar... Don't think you're gonna take your iPhone to the club and hold a drink, smoke a cigarette and send a text message at the same time... You'll end up dropping it... see above for info on that one. lol

Also I think it's kind of bizarre that the iPhone doesn't have GPS technology built in. I have an external BlueTooth GPS reciever that works great. In the TV advertisements for the iPhone, they show Google Maps, and it locates seafood restaurants that are nearby... It doesn't show that you will have to first locate yourself on the map by using a zip code or address. Strange.

Dutch students develop powdered alcohol

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch students have developed powdered alcohol which they say can be sold legally to minors.

The latest innovation in inebriation, called Booz2Go, is available in 20-gramme packets that cost 1-1.5 euros (70 pence-1 pound).

Top it up with water and you have a bubbly, lime-coloured and -flavoured drink with just 3 percent alcohol content.

"We are aiming for the youth market. They are really more into it because you can compare it with Bacardi-mixed drinks," 20-year-old Harm van Elderen told Reuters.

Van Elderen and four classmates at Helicon Vocational Institute, about an hour's drive from Amsterdam, came up with the idea as part of their final-year project.

"Because the alcohol is not in liquid form, we can sell it to people below 16," said project member Martyn van Nierop.

The legal age for drinking alcohol and smoking is 16 in the Netherlands.

In Germany, alcopops -- sweet drinks containing alcohol and in powder form -- caused quite a stir when launched on to the market. Alcohol powder, classified as a flavouring, was sold in the United States three years ago.

The students said companies interested in making the product commercially could avoid taxes because the alcohol was in powder form. A number of companies are interested, they said.

Ryan got back from New York last night and I picked him up at the airport. I was so excited to see him. I missed him alot, though he was only gone for a week, I'd gotten used to seein' him every day.

So this post is gonna be me venting about alot of things. I had an OK weekend. Shane left on Thursday for a cruise with his coworkers. I thoroughly enjoyed having the house all to myself, and got alot done.

On Friday I was tired and feeling kinda ill, but Patrick and Eric wanted me to go out with them. I eventually decided to go. So I drove over to Patrick's and bought some beer for them on the way over. Robert was out of town for the weekend, so I thought it would be a good time to hang out with just Patrick. He's always joking that if they broke up I'd never come to hang out with him.

Anyways, we went to Christopher St. Pub and it was sink or swim there. For some reason Patrick had the brilliant idea to go to Chambers. We went there and I paid for him and I to get in. He only wanted to stay for one drink though, and then he wanted to go to the male room. When we got to the male room, patrick told me that Ryan had said something to him (that i will not mention here), that was upsetting. I text messaged Ryan and he called me back, refuted what had been told to me, and telling me the only time he had talked to Patrick before he left was when I was with him. Patrick had called me and then asked to talk to Ryan.

So basically Patrick, my friend, who I trust, told me a flat out lie to make me upset and angry with my boyfriend. There is more to the story than that though...  (More)

So I watched the Democratic Candidates debate last night on CNN and a couple things stood out and I thought were worth mentioning. First of all, I was impressed that there was a discussion about universal healthcare for Americans. I'm not sure that we're really ready for a Canadian Style healthcare system, but I was just surprised that it was being talked about at all by the mainstream candidates.

Secondly, I was surprised that Hillary made a comment about the military dismissing arabic linguists because they were gay. While discussing the Don't ask, don't tell policy, all candidates raised their hand in favor of repealing the policy. Bill Richardson, added that he supports equal rights for gays and lesbians. Now, I was 'watching' the debate, which really meant I was listening to it while I was making dinner. I had to go rewind to see who had said it. I was actually pretty shocked by his statement. So I visited Richardson's website and read more about his platform on Iraq, healthcare, equal rights, etc.

Also, he has a pretty funny commercial out right now that you can view here: http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/s/jobinterview

May is almost over. Wow, it's crazy how fast it went by. I've been dating an awesome guy, Ryan. I spend a lot of time with him, he's awesome.

Though he's gone to NY for vacation. I dropped him off at the airport on Saturday morning, and have been kinda bored and lonely since. Trying to keep myself occupied, but it still sucks.

I went to the beach on Sunday and now have a nice tan and I'm hoping I can keep it for a while this time. Last time I went to the beach I got too much sun on my back and all of it ended up pealing, leaving me a little bit spotted. Sunset Beach was so packed when I was there, it was kinda crazy. I went there and met up with Patrick and Robert. Their friend Eric came just as we were leaving. Afterwards I had to go home to eat and shower off all the sand.

We had planned to meet at Baywalk to see Bug, but Patrick was running late, so I went over there and rode over with them. The movie was so awful. It was terribly boring, and I found myself laughing at parts that I felt were supposed to be scary or disturbing. The acting was soooo overdone. It was just bad. Bad Bad Bad. I wanted my $7 back...

Ding-Dong, the witch is dead.

Yesterday, the Great Decider justified his veto of the spending bill by saying that it would lead to a "cauldron of chaos" in the middle east.

• The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq issued a report last week that described a "rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis" in Iraq and a "breakdown in law and order."

• A report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said that seven out of eight reconstruction projects declared successful by the United States were actually failures, with widespread corruption among Iraqi officials a major factor.

• The State Department reported that terrorist attacks worldwide in 2006 were up by 28.5 percent over '05, with 14,338 attacks claiming 20,500 lives, most of them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• The month of April was the sixth-deadliest of the four-year-long war for U.S. forces, with 104 combat deaths. That was the fifth consecutive month in which the U.S. casualty toll exceeded 80.

• An active-duty Army office issued a scathing critique of his superior officers' handling of the war, an almost unprecedented show of opposition that reflects what the majority of Americans believe. 

I just got back from lunch and here's a pic I took on my car's thermometer. Of course, my car had been sitting out for a while, but still...